Stepping up

After spending the last two years in Class 2A, the Ville Platte High Bulldogs must now face a step up in classification as they move to the 3A ranks.
In terms of regular season competition, Ville Platte High head coach Jorie Randle feels that his team has been through the fire enough over the past two seasons to deal with anything that Class 3A has to throw the Bulldogs’ way.
“We were in the district with Notre Dame, Kinder, Welsh and Lake Arthur the past two seasons, so we know what good competition is like,” stated Randle. “With the new district that we will be in, we will face some very good football teams. I think because of having to play teams that won the state championship, we know how it is to play solid, winning programs.”
One positive for Ville Platte this season is the return of 13 seniors to the roster. With the experience that the Bulldogs have coming back, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Randle is hopeful that his team has the field presence that a senior laden club should bring night in and night out.
“Having a big senior class can be a blessing and a curse at the same time,” said Randle. “It’s a blessing to have that experience on the field, but it is a curse because that just means that we will have to find players to replace them next season.”
“These seniors have really done a tremendous job of committing themselves to the program,” Randle continued. “The only thing is I wish they would be a little more vocal in their leadership. They are the type to lead by example, which is great. But, sometimes you have to voice yourself to get the point across.”
Even though this senior class is 11-19 over the past three seasons, they have yet to win a playoff game, something that they are hoping to accomplish in 2019. According to Randle if they stick to the matra that permeates the Ville Platte High locker room, good things will come to them this year.
“We always preach God, family and team,” commented Randle. “If you take care of those things in order, everything else will fall in place. We definitely want this team to be a family on and off the field and it is up to the seniors to show the underclassmen the way.”
Talent wise, the Bulldogs’ cup runneth over, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Ville Platte has all of their skill guys back and four of their five starting offensive linemen back in the fold.
The offense starts with good leadership and senior Terrian Roy has shown that leadership last year. Roy passed for close to 1,000 yards in 2018 and used his legs to get yards when nothing was there through the air.
Behind Roy at the tailback spot is another returning player, Jahamal Byers. The now senior running back rushed for over 800 yards last year and 12 touchdowns.
The receiving corps also returns in tact for Ville Platte High as Ernest Roberts and Tyler Jones come in at 6’3” or better. Both wide outs are big targets that can go up and out leap most defenders, giving Roy some valuable tools at his disposal.
Up front Jadon Bellard, Allen Arvie, Rasheed Seraille and Quincy Bias all return to lead the way for Byers and company. Bellard was a second team all-parish selection in 2018.
Because of the number of returners on the offensive side of the ball, Randle will stick with the spread offense scheme that he has employed over the past few years, with one minor exception.
“We feel that Terrian (Roy) has matured enough that he will be able to make some decisions at the line of scrimmage to adjust to the opposing defense,” said Randle. “In the past, we did not give that freedom to our quarterbacks. That just goes to show you how much the coaching staff trusts him to take on that responsibility.”
Defensively, Ville Platte will see a ton of brand new faces. Only four returners on the defensive side of the ball come back for the Bulldogs.
That means that some of the underclassmen will have to step up their game to get the job done. As of right now, Randle has a good idea of who those new faces will be, but things could change if the coaching staff finds a few diamonds in the rough.
“This spring and into fall camp it has been trial by error when it comes to the defensive side of the ball,” stated Randle. “We will have guys going both ways this year, so we are looking to find other players that can step up and give a blow to the two-way players.”
Second team all-parish selections Quincy Bias (defensive line) and Kyle Williams (linebacker) are familiar faces that anchor the Bulldog defense. Joining Williams at the other linebacker spot will be Montique Goudy, Jr.
Other potential starters include Colby Lafleur (defensive end) who is a converted wide receiver. Tyler Jones moves to safety from his cornerback spot.
“Our offense is going to have to dictate play early in the season until the defense can find that gel needed to become really good,” said Randle. “All offseason we have been preaching to the offense that the first drive of a game is so important in terms of picking up points. When a team can go down and score on their first drive, it can swing the momentum right out of the gate.”